We all have to start somewhere. Yoga is one of those things that most people start wanting a new form of exercise and wind up with a life changing experience... at the risk of sounding too cheesy. The simple tools and techniques you learn from your practice teach you more about yourself than any book could. Yoga teaches you to be mindful, stress-free, happy, non-judgemental, and most importantly, yoga teaches you to love yourself. But don't take my word for it. If yoga's still something you've yet to experience for yourself, and I'm guessing that by you reading this blog post, it IS something you're wanting to try... just do it!! So many people claim they want to start doing yoga, but are afraid of what people might think. They're afraid to be bad at it. So if you're one of those people who wants to get into yoga, but aren't quite sure how, keep these little tips in mind.
- No one at yoga cares if you're bad at yoga. First. I'd like to mention that there's no such thing as being bad at yoga. Yoga is not a competition and because there's no ego in yoga, its impossible to be "bad" at it. That said, people are so wrapped up in themselves that they honestly couldn't care less about what your downward dog looks like. I know it might seem like everyone's judging you... but they're not. I assure you that. Odds are, they don't even know what they're doing either.
- It gets easier. Some people take a class and assume its going to easy. Well, it gets to be easier but only with practice. No one steps on the mat for the first time and finds it easy. The poses are meant to challenge you. Even just learning to move with your breath can be a challenge. Trust me, everyone finds it hard at first. Stick with it. Its worth it.
- Come into it with a playful attitude. Yoga can be fun. You're allowed to laugh. You're allowed to have a good time. Its not as serious as you're probably making it out to be. And just remember, if your teacher discourages laughter in their class, find a different teacher that suits you better. That leads me to my next point.
- Try different teachers and styles. Just because your friend loves a hot power vinyasa, doesn't mean you will. Try out many different styles of yoga before claiming its not for you. Also, there's not one instructor who's right for everyone. I encourage my students to try new classes and teachers, after all, you can only learn so much from one person.
- You don't have to be flexible to try yoga. This seems like the most obvious point to me, but I hear it so often: "I'll come to yoga once I'm more flexible." Hardly make sense to me. You come to yoga to get more flexible. That's one of the biggest health benefits from the practice. So I'll say it again, you do not need to be flexible to practice yoga. Just come to class.
If you're still hum-ing and haw-ing about whether yoga is right for you, I think you should just try it and find out. Live life with no regrets.
If you live in Golden and are looking for classes to attend, here's my schedule!
Or, if you'd like to try yoga away from the people you know, come to one of my retreats!!
Or, if you'd like to try yoga in your jammies in the comfort of your own home, try one of my youtube videos.
Whether you feel most comfortable in your living room, at a class, or in paradise, whatever you do, just give it a try.